Acid Burns
by jankmusic
Summary: After a prank goes wrong, Sherlock takes the time to braid Molly's hair.—Part of the One-a-Day Challenge


Acid Burns

Prompt: Abandoned

Disclaimer: I do not own Sherlock

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Sherlock Holmes was a bit rattled when he stepped off the lift and could hear John Watson swearing in the hallway. The good doctor typically kept his obscene language out of the public eye, but everyone in the near vicinity—possibly in the entire hospital of St. Bart's—could hear John as he swore colorfully at two young men.

They were obviously the men responsible for the accident.

At the sound of the doors to the lift opening, John turned around and his tight expression softened. "Hey. She's getting changed into a pair of scrubs right now." He pointed to the door behind him; it was her office.

"Does she need assistance?"

"Probably."

Sherlock went to her office door and knocked. "It's Sherlock. May I come in?"

"It's open!"

He slipped into her office and closed the door behind him. The second he was out of sight, he could hear John rampaging again. "He's having a conniption right now."

"Rightly so." Sherlock's eyes swept over Molly. She was shirtless and only wearing her scrub bottoms. He could see bandages wrapped around her abdomen, a guaze patch on her left breast, and her left hand completely swaddled. "How bad?" he asked, closing the distance between them.

"My hand got the brunt of the acid burns. I was wearing my lab coat and that jumper you got me for my birthday or else the burns could have been much worse."

"What exactly happened?"

Sherlock carefully led Molly to her desk and helped her sit down. Then he knelt at her feet and looked up at her. He listened intently as Molly retold the tale of the two boys playing practical jokes in the lab, mislabeling containers, not cleaning up their experiments, and ultimately causing a flask of acetic acid with a 70% concentration to break, splashing on Molly's left hand, chest, and abdomen.

"Luckily," Molly said at the end of her tale, "John was in the lab with me and helped me get to the decontamination shower."

"Does it hurt?"

Molly nodded her head. "Something awful." She sighed and leaned back in her chair, glancing at her heavily bandaged hand. "John said he'll write me a prescription for painkillers, and I won't be back here for a week, at least."

Sherlock watched as Molly pulled the scrub top over her head and finished getting dressed. "It's just frustrating. I've been conducting research for my next paper, and if I'm gone for a whole week or longer, I'll have to get new samples and…" she trailed off and waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind. It could be worse, right?" She smiled weakly at him and smoothed down her scrubs. "I have to go to the pharmacy and then I'm going home. Don't kill my replacement while I'm away, alright?"

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Molly had only just finished dressing her burns when she heard a knock on her door. Before she could get dressed and answer it, her door opened and she heard Sherlock call, "Molly?"

Slipping on a simple green nightgown over her head, she wrapped herself in her dressing gown and stepped out of the bathroom. "Sherlock?"

"Good! I was worried I was too late. Come on, come sit on the floor in front of your chair."

"Sit on the floor?" Molly grumbled, moving into her living room. Sherlock strode past her and she glanced over her shoulder to see him step into her still steamy bathroom. She shrugged her shoulders and without asking any other questions, she lowered herself to the floor where he indicated. Only a minute later, he was back and sitting in her chair.

"What are you doing?" Molly asked, turning to look at him. She was surprised to see he had her hair brush and a hair tie.

"You braid your hair every evening before bed. This task is impossible to accomplish with only one hand, and I've watched you do this what feels like hundreds of times." He carefully carded his fingers through her still wet hair, scratching her scalp. He added, "I am fully capable of doing this for you." Molly sighed and closed her eyes, dropping her head forward. Sherlock spent the next few minutes massaging her scalp, ears, and neck, until Molly all but turned into a puddle on the floor.

It took him two tries to be satisfied with the braid, but once he was done, Molly was leaning against his leg, lightly dozing. He deduced that she took her pain medication prior to getting in the shower, and she was well on her way to a heavy medicated sleep.

He carefully stood up from the chair and easily picked Molly up, cradling her against his chest. She woke with a start and nuzzled his shoulder. "Thanks for not abandoning me…" she murmured sleepily.

The idea of leaving Molly to fend for herself while injured had bothered Sherlock, and John reassured him that the proper thing to do was to go to her flat and coddle her and dress her injuries until she was better, so that was what he was doing. The act of caring for her implied proper boyfriend behavior, and he was concerned that Molly actually thought that he was going to leave her alone. "Molly, you always come first. I would never think to abandon you when you need me."

Molly giggled softly and pressed her lips against his cheek. Then she nuzzled him again and murmured, "Will you stay the night?"

"Of course."

Sherlock walked towards her bedroom.

"Will you make breakfast?" Molly curled her free hand around his neck.

"I can."

"Eggs and soilders?"

Sherlock laughed and looked down at Molly. "You know I have been unsuccessful with soft boiled eggs the last four times I've tried. I can fry eggs instead?"

Her breathing was slowing and she was beginning to fall asleep again. Sherlock carefully opened her bedroom door and gently placed Molly in her bed. As he was pulling the duvet up to cover her, she woke up and rolled to her side. "Porridge or pancakes."

"What?" Sherlock asked, beginning to undress.

"Breakfast. Porridge or pancakes."

"I can do either." He carefully folded his clothes and crawled into bed beside Molly. She yawned tiredly and rolled to her back, resting her left hand over her heart.

"Will you stay all week?"

"I'll have to run back to Baker Street to pack a bag."

"No…" Molly whined, turning her head to look at Sherlock. She was blinking her eyes tiredly at him. "Don't leave me."

"You can come with me," Sherlock said, raising an eyebrow. Molly's whining was uncharacteristic for her, and he had a feeling he should be saving the data of her behavior while under the influence of pain medications.

Molly pursed her lips for a moment and then said, "I'll just move in with you." Her eyes fluttered closed after a few moments, and she succumbed to her exhaustion.

Sherlock lay stiffly beside Molly, his mind rapidly going through the pros and cons of living with Molly Hooper. After what felt like hours, he relaxed beside her, leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Okay," he whispered softly, before closing his eyes and willing himself to sleep for the night, despite the excitement of his newfound decision.

_Fin._

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BB/N: Hello there! I hope this little bit of fluff brings joy your way! (Especially if you've been bothered by the nonny in the Sherlolly tag on Tumblr!) Thank you for reading! And for those curious about the sequel to "Every Kiss Beings with..." it should be posted tomorrow sometime!

-Janet


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